What does squid sashimi taste like?
If it were inferior ingredients, the moment it enters the mouth, it would certainly have an intense fishy smell.
But at this moment, a refreshing fragrance occupied Master Yizhen’s mouth.
The fishy taste was so faint, almost negligible amidst the supremely refreshing texture.
By then, the taste buds had ignored any superfluous flavors.
Master Yizhen uttered this word, his face surprisingly adorned with a gentle smile.
The squid slices in his mouth, as he chewed, were very tender, smooth, delicious; thin though they were, they offered much to chew, the more he chewed the stronger the refreshing sweet taste became.
A treasure door seemed to faintly appear before the taster, luring them to chew over and over, delicately savoring the taste.
"Diagonal-cut squid slices!"
Tiqie Xianzuowen picked up the first slice of squid, observing it from below his eyes.
"The method of slicing the fish creates different textures. Thus, knifework is extremely important for sashimi. With squid sashimi, the cut is particularly critical. If vertically cut, all the fibrous tissues break, leading to a tender texture. If horizontally cut, the fibers remain intact, giving the piece a chewy texture. But if diagonally cut, it retains both tenderness and chewiness..."
Under the camera, the four judges tasted the squid slices one after another, their expressions quite peculiar, their smiles so amiable, suddenly making them seem approachable.
On the platter, there was still more than half of the squid slices remaining.
Yuchuan Ayaka didn’t move, but the judges continued to taste another type of fish under Xia Yu’s guidance.
"Crucian carp, warm in nature, belongs to wood," Xia Yu directed toward the ice platter.
The judges picked up the pieces one after another.
After tasting, a light joy flickered across Master Yizhen’s face.
Previously, his heart had been moistened by water, turning the dry land fertile, and now eating a slice of mountain carp, a vague throbbing began brewing and growing stronger in the bottom of his heart.
As the old monk slowly savored the carp, swallowing it down, a small tender sprout seemed to burst through the soil in his heart.
The judges didn’t speak, apparently focusing on that tender sprout within their own hearts.
Perhaps each of them saw a different landscape.
The audience could only speculate Xia Yu’s dish through the camera lens, through close-up shots.
The first two types of fish slices.
The judges ate quietly, speaking only softly.
More directly put, Tiqie Xianzuowen’s robe did not "rip open"!
The Far Moon Commander’s clothes ripping had been taken as a mark of quality. If even this level could not be reached, how could his fish dish possibly compete directly with Yuchuan Ayaka’s "killer" desserts?
There was a minor disturbance in the venue.
The audience whispered among themselves.
"It seems like just a normal collection of sashimi!"
"I think so too, just changed the plating to an ice sculpture, making such a fuss, got me so excited for nothing!"
"Losing is within reason..."
Listening to these sounds, Guan Xingchen secretly chuckled.
What he paid attention to instead, were the natural expressions that involuntarily appeared on the faces of the pillars of Neon Food World.
No matter the external response, Xia Yu remained calm, guiding the judges to taste the third type of fish, "Crucian Carp, neutral in nature, belongs to earth."
The Far Moon Commander hummed a sound, and tore a strip off the ice platter,
No, not a strip, but a thread!
The fish strips, thin as noodles, slender like threads, the Far Moon Commander exhibited a look of surprise, twirling them with his chopsticks, and at the end of the chopsticks, was strangely wrapped in transparent thread.
He swallowed it in one gulp.
The murmurs disappeared in an instant.
The robe, once again, fell off the Far Moon Commander.
"There’s something about to burst out!" Tiqie Xianzuowen, eyes wide with shock, touched his chest.
What kind of culinary illusion could make the Demon King unable to distinguish real from fake?
"It’s, it’s coming out!"
This was Yuchuan Abbot’s cry of alarm, her chopsticks clattered to the ground, and she staggered back two steps, horrified, in disbelief.
Master Yizhen barely managed to keep his composure, but he dared not pick up his chopsticks to try a second piece.
His heart was beating abnormally fast.
For a monk whose heart was usually as still as water, this was as shocking as a meteor striking the earth. He gripped his chopsticks tightly, taking deep breaths, yet the palpitations in his chest were so real, as if merging with his heartbeat.
On the contrary, Chiyoda was the calmest.
She gazed at Xia Yu and actually smiled. In that moment, she suddenly seemed younger, returning to her twenties, transforming into the apprentice witch under the blossoming cherry trees at Chiyoda Shrine, casting a backward glance with a smile.
"Do you want to plant a seed in my heart?" asked Chiyoda.
Xia Yu pursed his lips and did not reply.
He pointed to the fourth icy feather, "Sea bream, slightly cool... belongs to the metal element!"
This time, the first to taste it was Chiyoda.
She seemed to anticipate the moment when the seed in her heart would robustly grow and transform.
She picked up her chopsticks!
The shape of the sliced fish transformed again.
This time, the sea bream sashimi finally resembled the familiar forms known by everyone at Polar Star Dormitory, as well as Hase Ichiro and Takai Masashi!
Each slice of fish was like a small mirror!
Chiyoda’s face, reflected on the fish slices, suddenly blurred.
She ate, her veins on her neck bulging!
It was as if she was under severe artillery fire, the delicate sprout in her heart might wither at any time amid the thunderous weather.
Suddenly, Chiyoda opened her eyes. This time, without Xia Yu’s guidance, she reached for the fifth feather’s pufferfish sashimi. As she swallowed, her entire body shook violently, her face expressing disbelief.
The other three judges followed suit.
Lightning thunderously struck down.
Chiyoda looked around, before her was barren land, the air was as fresh as after rain, and purple lightning spread across the horizon.
It was nighttime, an endless darkness.
A deep voice came from behind, and the four judges lined up, looking up at the gathering storm clouds in the sky.
Another bolt of lightning struck down, lasting longer this time, allowing them to see the ancient World Tree piercing the clouds.
Lightning struck the World Tree, flames burst forth, and the sky seemed ignited.
Looking again at the dim sky, the four judges exchanged looks of shock.
The sky was actually supported by the giant tree!
It had opened up the chaos, and a new world had appeared!
The flames severed the branches of the ancient tree; leaves fluttered about. Surprisingly, the broken branches quickly sprouted fresh buds upon hitting the ground and grew robustly, soon surrounded by a grove of young trees.
Metal, wood, water, fire, earth.
The five elements generating and overcoming each other created a new world.
After a while, Tiqie Xianzuowen opened his eyes and couldn’t help but applaud.
"I witnessed the birth of a world!" exclaimed Master Yizhen with a look of disbelief, appraising the young chef, "The five elements! I never thought that a small piece of fish could contain the properties of the five elements, aligning with the great Dao of heaven and Earth! What’s even more unbelievable is how you blended the five elements into your cooking!"
"Blossoming, bearing fruit."
Chiyoda softly said, "One flower, one world. It turns out a chef can truly endow a dish with a world."
Yuchuan Abbot was at a loss for words.
"Kid, how did you do it?" she scrutinized Xia Yu doubtfully.
As he was looked at with eyes that regarded him as a monstrous being by the four judges, Xia Yu coughed and then shifted the topic:
"Ladies and gentlemen, do you think my combination of five kinds of fish sashimi can compete with Chef Yuchuan’s ’killer’ dish?"
The venue fell silent.
Yuchuan Ayaka locked eyes with Xia Yu, who stared right back without yielding.
The audience was both shocked and excited.
They thought the judges would take more time to comment, but this young chef had skipped right over this part, moving directly to the final showdown.
Drawn swords at the ready!